Corn planter



Aug- 8, 1950 J. AGRn-5R, JR 2,5l8,306

CORN PLANTER Filed Jan. 24, 1945 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 :Illu

9 wmk Inventor GB J0@ rz'efm/V By mwim.

ad# Attoneys J. GRIER, JR

CORN PLANTER Aug. 8, 1950 2 Sheets-Sheff:I 2

Filed Jan. 24, 1945 I Mentor efz'e rij/" m I. 31494.: i

@m WWW 3% Patented Aug. 8, 1950 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE VCORN PLANTER J oe Grier, r., Lula, Miss.

Application January 24, 1945, Serial No. 574,299

1 Claim.

.-corn to the proper depth without scattering the same, may be easily handled by one man, and is comparatively simple in construction, economical to service, and inexpensive to manufacture.

Other and subordinate objects are also comprehended by my invention, all of which, together with the precise nature of my improvements, and the advantages thereof, will be readily understood when the succeeding description and claim are read with reference to the drawings accompanying and forming part of this specification.

In said drawingsi Figure 1 is a view in plan, with the hopper shown in horizontal section, of my improved corn planter in a preferred embodiment thereof.

Figure 2 is a view in side elevation illustrating the manner in which the covering shovels operate,

Figure v3 is a fragmentary view partly in side elevation and partly in vertical section, illustrating the position of the parts when the yoke-operating ground wheel rolls into a furrow.

Figure 4 is a fragmentary-view in vertical longitudinal section illustrating the hopper, the seed discharge vSlide and the guide for the slide, with the slide in normal position, and the parts drawn to an enlarged scale,

.Figure 5 isV a similar View illustrating the seed discharge slide in seed-discharging position,

Figure' 6 is another similar view illustrating the manner in which the seed is discharged through the discharge neck of the hopper,

Figure 7 is a fragmentary view in side elevation illustrating the position of the slide-operating yoke and the yoke-operating ground wheel when the seed drops into a furrow, and

Figure 8 is a fragmentary view in bottom plan of the hopper, the seed-discharge slide and the guide therefor together with the hopper-supporting brackets.

Referring to the drawings by numerals, my imprived corn `planter as shown comprises a, pair of frame-forming side beams I spaced apart in parallel, side-by-side relation and connected 120- gether by .a pairof rear cross bars 2 underlying the beams I in spaced-apart relation and secured to said beams, as by bolts 3. The cross bars 2 extend beyond the side beams I for a purpose presently seen. A ground wheel 4 is rotatably mounted between the front ends of the side beams I by means of a spindle bolt 5. The usual pair of cultivator handle bars 6 incline upwardly and rearwardly from the side beams I with the front ends thereof bolted to said side beams, as at 1. Brace bars 8 extend between the handle bars 6 and the rear ends of the side beams I for supporting said handle bars 6. A draft yoke 9 yis swingably mounted at its ends on the bolt 5in straddling relation to the side lbeams I and ground Wheel 4 and to extend forwardly of said wheel for the attachment of a draft animal thereto.

A seed supply lhopper II is mounted on the side beams I intermediate the pair of cross bars 2 coplanar with the ground wheel 4 and by means of a hopper-supporting, plate-like bracket l Ilr extending across said side beams I and bolted thereon, as at I3. The bracket I2 is preferably formed as a part of the hopper I I and is provided with a rounded, dise-like center portion I4, as best shown in Figure 8, forming the bottom of the hopper II. At the bottom thereof, the seed hopper I I is provided with a rear, restricted, seeddischarge throat I5 preferably of oval form and arranged in the line of draft. The seed-discharge throat I5 is adapted to register with a similarly shaped opening I6 in an elongated seeddischarge slide I'I endwise slidable forwardlyand rearwardly in the bottom of the hopper II in-a plate-like guide I8 bolted, as at I9, tothe portion- I4 and formed forwardly of-the throat I5 with a depending seed-discharge neck 20 depending therefrom and of the same size internally as the opening I6. -A coil spring 2| suitably-secured to the rear endl of said slide I'l and to a bracket 22 on one ofv the cross bars 2 yieldingly retains said slide in a retracted normal position with the opening -I 6 yregistering with the throat I5.-

and rearwardly, as occasion may require. AV link 26 pivoted to the rear side of the boot 24, as at 21, and adapted to be bolted, as at 28, to a depending arm 29 on one of the cross bars 2 provides for retaining said boot in adjusted position, said link being provided with longitudinally spaced bolt holes 30 therein for selection in accordance with the desired adjustment of said boot. As will be noted, the seed-,dropping boot is -located behind the lground wheel f4 a distance `such that said ground wheel will travel well past a furrow before said boot travels into a position directly over the furrow. In this connection, it is also to be noted that the ground wheel 4 is lsuii'ioiently large in diameter to roll across a furrow without sinking therein to a depth such that the furrow will stall forward travel of said1wheel.

A slide-operating yoke 3| inclines downwardly and rearwardly from the bolt and comprises a pair of side arms 32 vertically swingable on said bolt 5 upon opposite sides of "the vground wheel `4 with 'the rear lends :thereof fconnected 'together side armsv v32 directly -inthe `rear of Athe ground wheel 4-aIndintermediate-said ground wheeland 'the seed-dropping boot 24, which `is'to say foriwardly of said boot. The yoke-operating ground wheel 341is ofthe approximate size to drop into a furrow, as shown in Figure 3. As will be noted, the side arms r32 -of the-yoke 3| aremounted on y'the bolt 5 to Yprovide relatively short lever arms 35 forwardly of said bolt. ,A pair of coil springs 136 attached at ends thereof, as Vat 31, to said'lever arms 35 and to uprights 38 von the-side beams l yielding urge the rear ends of the side arms 432 downwardly and the `ground-engaging Wheel 34 against the ground.

An operating connection is yprovided between the slide-,operating yoke 3| and the seed-discharge slide lI1 comprising a -pull cord, or wire,

'39 having its ends suitably attached, to the to-p ofthe cross-member'33 andto'the aperturedear y,

23, and which extends over -an idler -pulley 40 rotween the side beams I in front of said discharge v"slide, the arrangement'belng suchthat when the yoke-operating ground wheel 34 drops-into-a furrow, vthe seed-discharge slide |1 is pulled forwardly to registerthe opening l-| 6 therein with the discharge neck 20.

Abattery of shovel-carrying bars 42, similar tothe usual spring harrow fteeth, extend rearwardly ofthe seed-dropping boot 24 in side-byside, parallel and equi-distantly 4spaced relation with Athe outermost bars 42 bolted, as at 43, to the ends of the cross'bars 2, adjacent bars 42`-be ing similarly secured tothe cross `bars 2 'by the bolts 3, and a central *bar 42being secured by a bracket 44 to one of said cross bars 2. The shovel-carrying bars 42 are equipped with small cultivator-like covering Vshovels 45 `aligned transversely of the gang and lbolted'to -said bars 42, as at 46. Bar-like, ground-engaging -shoes 41 are attached to the rear ends of-theshovel-carrying bars-42 by the-bolts 46 toride over the ground in trailing relation to the shovels 45 and establish the depth to which vthe shovels 45 enter the ground. As best shown lin Figure v2, the shoes 41 prevent the shovels 45 from entering the ground tothe depth of the furrows -so that said shovels will not contact seed deposited in the bottom of the furrows.

A disabling rod 48 fis rotatably mounted in bearings 49 on one handle bar 6 to extend alongside said bar for setting rotatably to prevent the slide-operating yoke 3| from swinging downwardly and the yoke-operating ground wheel 34 from entering a furrow. The disabling rod 48 is provided at one end with a crank-like handle 50 and at itsother end with a crank arm 5l designed to be swung into Iunderlying relation to one of the side bars 32 of the yoke 3| in the rear of the bolt 5 and thus disable said yoke.

Referring now to the operation of the described invention, the ground in a field having been first prepared with furrows f extending in one direction and to indicate the location of cross rows extending in the other direction, the planter is drawn along the rows under the guidance of an ,operator maintaining the planter on the row by means of the handle bars 6. At the intersection of each cross row, not shown, and furrow f, the yoke-operating ground wheel 34 drops into .thefurrow f, as shown in Figure 3,-permitting the slide-operating yoke 3| to'be swung by the springs 35 inthe proper direction to cause a pullon the cord, or wire, '39 of sulcient duration to pull the seed-discharge slide |1 forwardly from the retracted normal position until the opening IS in said slide registers with the .discharge .neck 20. In the .normal .retracted .position of said slide l1, said slide is loaded with seed from the hopper il by such seed gravitating into the aperture .IB sothatwhen the aperture'is moved into registration with the discharge neck 20, the loadofseed will fall through said neck 20 and boot 24. `A particular feature of .my invention is that .the parts are so arranged as :to deposit the seed dropping through the boot 24 into the furrow f after the yoke-operatingground wheel 34 travels forwardly out of :the furrow f, that is, with the 'planter being pulled vby -a draft animal at the normal `walking speed of theanimal. As soon as the yokeeoperating kground wheel 34 travels up out ofthe lfurrow, as shown in Figure?, the seed is deposited from the boot 24 in the furrow f and sufficient slack is created in the cord 39 to permit the spring 2| to yretract the seed discharge slide to normal positionffor reloading in the manner previouslydescribed. After .the seed 1has been discharged into the furrow f, .the shovelsr45 `cover the seed in a manner which will be clear. The seed-discharge throat |5in thehopper and the aperture I6 in the seed-discharge slide l1 are preferably arranged and .proportioned so that three seeds are loaded into theaperture I6 at each operation and planted in eachfurrow f..

The yforegoing will,`it is believed, suffice to impart aclear understanding of .my invention without further explanation.

Manifestly, the invention, as described, is susceptible yof modification without departing from the inventive concept, and right is herein reserved to such `modifications as fall within the scone of the appended claim.

What Iclaim is:

In a corn planter adapted to travel cresswise of iurrows, a frame having side handle bars, a spindle on `said frame, -a front ground wheel on said spindle adapted to roll over furrows, a gravity feed seed hopper on the frame in the rear of the ground wheel, a horizontal seed discharge slide at the bottom ofthe hopper intermittently operable to discharge seed therefrom, a yoke pivoted on said spindle in straddling relation to the ground wheel for vertical swinging Inovement, a second ground wheel on said yoke in the rear of the rst ground wheel adapted to descend REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the le of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Name Date Pratt Mar. 13, 1883 Number Number Number Name Date Pratt Mar. 15, 1887 Todd Oct. 7, 1890 McKee Mar. 17, 1896 Latisniere July 24, 1900 Adams Feb. 10, 1903 Joyce May 27, 1913 Freisnn Feb. 1, 1916 Butler Jan. 8, 1918 Fisher Mar. 19, 1918 Melland Jan. 21, 1919 Reust Jan. 8, 1924 Fuquay Feb. 22, 1927 Dickerson May 19, 1931 FOREIGN PATENTS Country Date France Mar. 16, 1909 

